Hearth & Gnome

About Music Unfolds -

by Kimberly Parsons & Melisa Nielsen of waldorf essentials

"During our music lesson yesterday, my 7 year old son said, 'It's like my fingers have eyes and I can hear the song in my head!'...As his teacher, I felt like I had received a huge pat on the back for finding the right program for him!...I'm so grateful for...this beautiful curriculum you've created. It feels more like a gentle teacher walking my son and I through the world of music. Thanks so much!" - Lauren M., Washington State

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"Kimberly, I just want to say how much I appreciate you...You have described and put into practical application what I've intuitively or subconsciously known about learning music, but never really tried to articulate or dive deeper into the whys. You have connected so many dots for me and made my conscious mind catch up to my heart around teaching music. It's amazing to watch my son completely live into music by learning it with his ears and body first. There is so much less struggle using your program than with my first. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world." - Jamie B., Illinois

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"We are really enjoying this curriculum!...I love hearing them humming or singing the songs from the curriculum." - Lauren F., Texas

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We asked an experienced Waldorf homeschooling mom to review an advance copy of our curriculum. Here's what she had to say.

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"I am an experienced Waldorf homeschooling mom with 8 years of teaching under my belt. I have seen and used many, many resources for almost every possible aspect of Waldorf homeschooling. I also have a master’s degree in music--finding a really solid music curriculum has been extremely important to me. Music Unfolds has happily met my high standards!

"While I do have an extensive musical background, being a keyboard player, I do not have a background with 'blowing instruments.' Because of this, there are elements of teaching the flute/recorder that are 100% familiar and elements that are a bit out of my comfort zone. On top of this, the one thing that I especially I do not have right now is time. I need something simple and streamlined--something truly 'open-and-go.' There are weeks when I’m lucky to spend just a couple of minutes looking over the songs for the day, and I need to be able to do just that with an expectation of success. That expectation has been more than met. Music Unfolds has been so easy to use in this way.

"I initially had plans to combine this program with elements from several others, because at heart I am all about pulling together many resources to make something unique for my family, and because I tend to be never quite satisfied by any one product. But I quickly discovered that there was no need to do so! Music Unfolds stands on its own! Within the first week, I dropped anything else I was tempted to use and have been very content going forward with just this one resource.

"Now, on to the positives of this program from the child’s point of view! Number One is that the songs are so singable! These are songs we find ourselves humming and singing throughout the day, which is not the case for many songs we’ve learned along our Waldorf journey. The “Witch Witch” song from the Fall Grade 1 section of the curriculum was a special favorite, as was the game that accompanied it, which we played for many days at my son’s request. Number Two is the stories that introduce each song. My 7-year old loves the Super Sam stories as they are old friends remembered from kindergarten. The inclusion of these stories made such a nice transition into first grade. For those who wish to use them, crafts and recipes are also included to accompany each song.

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"Our school year was derailed when we found out we were moving across the United States mid-way through the year. As a result, we missed two entire months of school and most of the Music Unfolds songs and stories for the winter season. I was concerned that it would be difficult to jump back in again and that the curriculum would have moved far ahead without us, but I was so pleased to discover that there were a range of song suggestions provided for children at varying levels of playing. As I’m sitting down to finalize my plans for spring, it is so nice to know that we can ease ourselves into things with songs that will meet my son right where he is at. I am excited to return to our flute lessons and see where Music Unfolds takes us next!" - Lisa G., Washington State.